Picture hanger



R. G. RAITT PICTURE HANGER Jan. 24, 1950 Filed Nov. 5, 1946 IN VEN TOR.

Patented Jan. 24,` 1950 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PICTURE HANGER Richard G. Raitt, Elmira, N. Y.

Application November 5, 1946, Serial No. 707,932

a claims. l

This invention rela-tes to a hanger or support for pictures and the like.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a picture hanger which securely supports the picture, which prevents the picture from becoming askew with respect to its desired position and which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

The Various features of the invention will appear from the detailed description and claims when taken with the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a fragment of a wall having fastened thereto, the hanger of the present invention, and of a picture supported from the hanger, the portion of the picture in front of the hanger being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a side View of the picture and its hanger mounted on the Iwall which is shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a front view, considerably enlarged, of the hanger alone; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the hanger taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

The preferred form of hanger of the present invention is made from a piece of sheet material, for example aluminum, and comprises a plate '5 generally of triangular shape with its two lower corners (Fig. 1) rounded as indicated at 6 and 1. The top portion of the hanger is folded over to provide an overhanging or superimposed strip 8 inclined outward and downward from the body of the hanger. The strip 8 is provided with one or more nail-receiving openings 9 which register with corresponding openings I in the body of the hanger. Each pair of superimposed openings 9 and IU is so disposed that a nail II (Fig. 2) passing therethrough, will extend at an obtuse angle with respect to the plane of the plate 5.

A plurality of lugs I2, I3, and I4 are struck up from the body of the hanger to serve as hooks to grip the cord or wire of a picture. Each of these lugs is in the form of a segment of a spherical shell whereby the inner corner of their free edges such as I 2a, I3a (Fig. 4) and I4'a in Fig. 2 are directed to the fron-t surface of the plate 5. Thus each lug and the plate define a cleft into which the supporting wire or cord C is wedged and the more the cord is drawn into the cleft the more the inner corner of the lug bites into the cord. The lug I2 which opens upward is located just below the strip 8 and on the vertical axis of symmetry of the hanger. The lugs I3 and I4, which open downward, are located respectively at the rounded lower corners 6 and 1 of the plate 5.

In use, the hanger is mounted by driving a nail II through each of the registering pair of openings 9 and Ill into the supporting wall W. The supporting wire or cord C of the picture P is hun-g on the lug II and is passed around the lugs I2 and I3 in a zig-zag fashion, indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. The weight of the picture draws the cord C downward in the cleft behind the lug I2, but upward in the clefts behind the lugs I3 and I4. With the cord thuspositioned in the mentioned clefts, any tendency for the picture to become askew causes the cord to be more tightly wedged in these clefts.

While a preferred form of hanger has been disclosed, it will be understood that there can be various alterations and modifications thereof within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

What I claim is:

1. A picture hanger or the like comprising a plate of sheet material having a portion of its margin folded in superimposed relation on itself, the superimposed portions of the plate having pairs of registering nail-receiving openings therein, the openings of a pair being so disposed that a nail inserted therein will be held at an obtuse angle with respect to the plane of the plate, lugs struck-up from the plate, each lug being in the form of a segment of a substantially spherical shell with its free edge directed toward said plate to define with said plate a cleft adapted to receive and grip a cord or wire attached to the picture, the cleft of at least one of said lugs opening in the direction toward said folded margin and the cleft of another lug opening in a different direction,

2. A picture hanger or the like comprising a plate of sheet material provided with means for attachment to a support, lugs struck-up from the plate, each lug being in the form of a 4segment of a substantially spherical shell with its free edge directed toward said plate to define with said plate a cleft adapted to receive and .grip a ,cord or wire attached to the picture, the cleft of at least one of said lugs opening in the direction toward said means and the cleft of another lug opening in a different direction.

3. A picture hanger or the like comprising a plate of sheet-like material provided with means for attachment to a support and at least one lug struck out and projecting from within the body of the plate, said lug having its side edges directed toward said plate and defining with the plate a wedge-shaped cleft with an edge of the lug and the adjoining edge oi' the plate meeting at an acute angle whereby the cleft is adapted to receive and the mentioned edges are adapted to bite into a cord or Wire attached to the pictur-e, the cleft of said lug opening toward said means,

RICHARD G. RAITT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent: 

